Kidz Bop Kids Albums (11)
'Kidz Bop, Vol. 16'
Release Date 8/4/2009
Tracks 16
Label Razor & Tie
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Kidz Bop, Vol. 16 is easily one of the most kid-friendly collections of songs that the franchise has put together to date. There are a few fun, danceable songs at the album's beginning and end, including Kristinia DeBarge's Rihanna-esque "Goodbye" and the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" -- which is so goofy that it might as well have heavily Auto-Tuned kids' voices on it -- but ballads make up most of the collection. The Kidz Bop Kids' version of Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" and the covers of Beyoncé's brooding "If I Were a Boy," the Fray's "You Found Me," and songs by Nickelback and Shinedown are fine but unremarkable. Even Kidz Bop usual suspects like the Pussycat Dolls and P!nk are subdued this time around, with covers of relatively somber hits like "I Hate This Part" and "Please Don't Leave Me." "Circus," the first Britney Spears song to appear on a Kidz Bop collection since Kidz Bop, Vol. 6, enlivens the album, along with a version of Kanye West's "Heartless" and a cover of Hannah Montana's "Hoedown Throwdown," which ends up being less irritating than the original song from the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack. The new wrinkle Kidz Bop, Vol. 16 offers is its final song: Sinái Rose's "LOL" is an original, a brassy pop track based on text-speak. Will Kidz Bop continue to use its popularity to introduce new artists as well as reinterpret already established ones? Will there be Kidz Bopped covers of songs introduced on earlier collections? Only time will tell. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
'Kidz Bop, Vol. 15'
Release Date 2/3/2009
Tracks 19
Label Razor & Tie
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Kidz Bop keeps on keeping on with Kidz Bop 15, which continues the series' typical mix of cleaned-up, kid-sung versions of songs that used to be inappropriate for kids to hear, pleasant-enough songs about relationships that young listeners (hopefully) don't fully understand yet, and a handful of songs it's actually OK to let children sing along with. The collection leads off with a few songs that, for one reason or another, might still not be entirely "kid-friendly." The version of the Pussycat Dolls' "When I Grow Up" is missing most of the original's sexual swagger, but the fact that the song was originally by a former burlesque troupe might give some parents pause. And even if it's not exactly objectionable, there's something more than a little, well, disturbing about a chorus of kids singing along to Rihanna's "Disturbia." As the album progresses, however, it relies heavily on covers of songs by the Disney and American Idol stables -- tracks that are already kid- and radio-friendly unit shifters like the Jonas Brothers' "Burnin' Up," Jordin Sparks' "One Step at a Time" and Miley Cyrus' "7 Things." The only way to make them more for kids than they actually are is to have actual children sing on them, something that Kidz Bop 15 features more of than previous Kidz Bop volumes did. While having kids sing the lead on these songs might make them more kid-friendly, it also makes them less friendly to a general audience, although a handful of songs here, like Estelle's "American Boy," Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold," and Taylor Swift's "Love Story," have melodies strong enough that they can withstand the Kidz Bop treatment (meanwhile, Nickelback's "Gotta Be Somebody" might actually be better as a rousing kids' song than its original version). Even with a few changes, Kidz Bop 15 is more or less more of the same. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
'Kidz Bop, Vol. 14'
Release Date 7/29/2008
Tracks 36
Label Razor & Tie
See Album Tracklist and Review
'The Coolest Kidz Bop Christmas Ever'
Release Date 9/25/2007
Tracks 18
Label Razor & Tie
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Kidz Bop Country'
Release Date 5/22/2007
Tracks 14
Label Razor & Tie
See Album Tracklist and Review
'A Kidz Bop Valentine'
Release Date 1/26/2007
Tracks 14
Label Kidz Bop
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Kidz Bop Sports Jamz'
Release Date 1/9/2007
Tracks 18
Label Razor & Tie
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Much like its predecessors, Kidz Bop, Vol. 11 is a cavalcade of unintentionally surreal covers of Top 40 hits ostensibly tailored for precocious tykes aged four to eleven. These are fairly straightforward adaptations performed by an energetic, somewhat off-key chorus of kids prone to shouting things like "Yeah!" and "Woo!" at pivotal moments. And like the albums the came before it, Vol. 11 contains a good deal of material that might seem somewhat inappropriate for its target demographic. What sets this album apart, however, is the dwindling role of the Kidz Bop Kids themselves. Kidz Bop, Vol. 10 found the majority of its songs sung predominantly by adults, with the tots relegated to the kid's table of backup vocals. This trend continues on Vol. 11, which seems to only include the Kidz Bop Kids in order to maintain its children's' music cred. Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," Justin Timberlake's "My Love," and Gustav Clarkston's "Walk Away" are all fairly true to the original material, albeit with the addition of a chorus of enthusiastic children. Notable exceptions include John Mayer's "Waiting for the World to Change," which has the kids engaging in a little call-and-response with the lead singer ("It's not that we don't care...WE CARE!"), and Webstar's "Chicken Noodle Soup," which is the only track on the record performed by the kids themselves. KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" fares surprisingly well with the Kidz Bop treatment, given how bouncy and playful it is; but, again, it's not clear whether this material will really appeal to small children. Vol. 11 serves up a wide variety of Top 40 hits, and the results are fairly kid-oriented. Whether this series actually succeeds in serving up children's music is still up for debate. ~ Margaret Reges, All Music Guide
'Kidz Bop, Vol. 10'
Release Date 8/1/2006
Tracks 18
Label Razor & Tie
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
While children and adults singing covers of popular radio songs will perhaps never be the pinnacle of musical accomplishment, it does have a certain appeal for certain audiences (mainly, children and their parents, as well as those with a penchant for cheesiness). The Kidz Bop series is, of course, the forerunner of this genre, and since the first volume was issued in 2001, has provided an assortment of family friendly(ish) music that is played on continuous loop in toy stores and on road trips to Six Flags. Of course, no one -- hopefully -- is arguing that any of the albums are good, but some of the songs chosen are more successful than others. Unfortunately, Kidz Bop, Vol. 10 is a bit devoid of said pieces (where's the hipster cover or the fun summertime hit?), with far too many serious, adult-themed contemporary R&B numbers ("Don't Forget About Us," "Unwritten," "Stickwitu") that are neither particularly fun nor really that appropriate for children, unless perhaps you decide to change the reference of Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" ("I wanna be with you, gotta be with you, need to be with you") from a lover to a parent (still weird, though). And besides covers of Black Eyed Peas' "Pump It," Madonna's "Hung Up," the All-American Rejects' "Move Along," and Ashlee Simpson's "L.O.V.E.," the rest of the selections on the record are pretty morose as well. The creators of the album seem aware of this, but even the attempt to lighten up Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" by having the children yell "yeah!" and "woo!" doesn't exactly make it cheerful (disconcerting may be a better word). Perhaps the radio hits are just sadder this year, but maybe they should've waited to release Kidz Bop, Vol. 10 until they figure out how to get a version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" on there. Now that would be something to hear. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
'Kidz Bop, Vol. 9'
Release Date 2/21/2006
Tracks 18
Label Razor & Tie
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Kidz Bop juggernaut keeps on keeping on with Kidz Bop, Vol. 9, another collection of kid-friendly reinterpretations of of-the-moment songs. This volume continues the eclectic trend set by Kidz Bop covers of alternative rock hits like Modest Mouse's "Float On" and Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" on previous albums with versions of Weezer's "Beverly Hills" and Gorillaz's "Feel Good Inc.," and once again, Kelly Clarkson reigns supreme with the kids, even with the dour "Behind These Hazel Eyes." Weirdly enough, the album also features a rendition of Crazy Frog's inescapable "Axel F (The Frog Song)"; since the vocals on the original are mostly helium-laced gibberish, the only reason for covering it must be that it's fun to babble along to (and that's probably reason enough). Covers of "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "Just the Girl," "Cool," "Pon de Replay," and "We Belong Together" ensure that this collection is just as effective a mid-2000s time capsule as the slightly more grown-up Now compilations are. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
